Himalayan Zoological Park

After visiting Hanuman Tok, we went to Ganesh Tok. The Himalayan Zoo is just nearby. So, we went for the zoo. It is located on a hill near Ganesh Tok. It is at an altitude of 5,840 ft. The car took us up to the entrance. We paid the entry fees of Rs. 100 and entered the zoo. The car took us a bit more inside and up the hill.

On its way, we stopped at a place and went to see Himalayan black bear. They were at the farthest corner and we could only figure them there.

A Himalayan black bear hiding at the farthest corner

We walked back to the car. Then we stopped at a place, with a picturesque cafeteria. On our return, we had our lunch and afternoon coffee before leaving this wonderful park.

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The car stopped there as it could not go up. It is a large zoo and visitors need to walk a considerable distance to see all that the zoo has to offer. Some of the Himalayan fauna in the zoo are Himalayan Black Bear, snow leopard, the leopard cat, Tibetan wolf, and Red Pandas besides some beautiful birds.

Red Pandas are much smaller than the giant panda. The state animal of Sikkim, the Red Pandas are found in six protected areas of the State. But they are facing extinction due to habitat loss caused by construction activity and over grazing. The zoological park has already been identified as the most promising zoo for the red panda conservation programme, as it is located next to a panda habitat containing the animal’s staple diet, bamboo.

Cute Red PandaRed PandaRed PandaRed PandaRed Panda eating fruits

HIMALAYAN GORAL

The Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral) is a bovid species found across the Himalayas. They are found in the forests of the Himalayas including Bhutan, northern India including Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, Nepal, and southern Tibet. The Himalayan goral is very agile and can run quickly. Due to its coloration it is very well camouflaged, so that it is extremely difficult to sight it, especially since it spends much of the day lying still. However, it is hunted by various predators. When threatened, the Himalayan goral will vocalize with hissing or sneezing sounds. It has been classified as “Near Threatened” by IUCN because it is believed to be in significant decline due to hunting for food and habitat loss.

Himalayan GoralHimalayan Goral

I love nature and always love to visit forests, zoological parks and botanical gardens for seeing and enjoying various types of flora and fauna.